This was one I knew I had to have the moment I saw it. Even though I own no pets, the rest of my family have dogs, and they love playing family-weight games with me. So a family weight game about dogs with fantastic components was a must-buy. And it hasn't disappointed. I've played it numerous times with all player counts (besides solo), everyone loves trying to find their breed cards, the variable setup means a different game every time, the artwork is amazing, this was an absolute winner.
I bought it on impulse because I love dogs and I love the games it's compared to, WIngspan and Parks. But...I played it twice and then sold it. It fell flat. I really didn't like the bidding mechanism at all. And the walking "Parks-like" action was a terrible letdown after Parks. You feel rushed off the path without getting enough stuff. Having two hikers in Parks makes all the difference. Only collecting 8 dogs while competing on the goals feels short. I was REALLY disappointed. I wanted so much for this to be a great game.
I'm curious how much the love for dogs is affecting the ratings people have for this. It looks cool and interesting but Zees concerns are worth noting. An average of 7 though makes it a decent game.
The artwork and people's love of dogs is the only thing selling this game. I love a beautiful production but there still has to be a game there worth playing and this does not look interesting in the least. Tom's point about the game forcing you not to collect the dogs you want is a clear indication of a bad game design.
This review is just a testament of dogs being the superior animal. I could care less for birds, but I still bought WingSpan. I was actually worried that no one would play with me because it is a game about birds. Luckily I managed to get my friends to play it and we all love it. But with Dog Park, I do believe that a large part of its reviews and sales are based on dog-lovers.
KillMilla! You did a fantastic game play overview. Pointing out multiple scoring characteristics and board aspects in detail, but also being succinct. Your walkthrough reminded me of the quick Tom overviews that provide needed info without belaboring points. Keep up the great work.
Dog Park is the game that I hoped Wingspan would be. Wingspan's claim to fame (in my opinion) was that the theme and art helped spark the interst of many outside of the boardgame world, but the level of complexity in Wingspan's systems turned a number of aspiring gamers away. Dog Park's simplicity is a selling point for an introductotry level of game. I'm of the mindset that Dog Park will easily rise to the same level of "evergreen" that Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassone has. And judging by the fact that this game seems to borrow some of the design DNA of Wingspan & Parks (very losely speaking), it's very very very easy to see a big-box edition of this releasing in 5 years to help store the many expansions that are eminent for this game. Sidenote, a game like "Lost Ruins of Arnak" and "Terraforming Mars" eventually got different tracks, so I'd be shocked if alternate walking location arrangmeents weren't on the horizon for this game.
The reasons Zee listed were some of the reasons why I avoided backing. I want a dog version of Wingspan. This isn’t it. I don’t like the static track - Parks is superior. I’ll be interested to see the opinions for Bark Avenue. I don’t know what the retail price is but I felt the kickstarter was expensive so I have a feeling it would have a hard time selling at Target to non-hobby gamer families.
Wingspan birds are also repetitive in their powers. Granted expansions have been introducing some new powers (end of round and game) but they are repetitive too. I wonder what the comparison is with the dog's power? The rest of the critiques make a ton of sense. Great work as always!
Tom, did you, or do you know if Zee or Camila played this at 2? We backed this on Kickstarter, have played it once WE did NOT like the 2 player version which includes a dummy player, the bidding, already not robust, became pointless, the walking for the dummy player was random (literally roll and move) we just did not enjoy it. On the positive, it should be light enough to play with our 9 year old, so we'll see if we enjoy it more at 3.
I bought this game last year, mostly for the theme. I love dogs. But I also love birds. I think, (because you referred to Wingspan a couple of times), for me this is the better game. I played it this afternoon with 3 patients of mine in the psychiatrie and they loved it, so did I. Why is it a better game? Something you didn't mention but is for me personally very important in boardgaming. It's way more interactive than the birdgame that suffers from a new hype. Dress up a sologame into a boardgame. This one doesn't do that. You can really screw someone over and I like that, it makes it way more competive.
This was a really great review video! The teach was super clear and the debate/discussion afterward had a lot of great points made by everyone. Bravo! Brava! I’m excited to play my new copy! 🐶 thank you for another great video! 🐕 🐩
So I am a fan of Wingspan, but also spent years as a dog trainer and instructor in canine sports so HAD to get this game when I could get my hands on a copy and hoped I would like it as much. But have been disappointed by the game in so many ways. I find it harder to teach people than Wingspan even though ultimately it's a bit simpler to play but for non-gamers the initial learning curve I found to be a bit steeper than I expected. I know I had to rely on some online walkthroughs to resolve some rule questions I had as the rulebook is good, but not always 100% clear on everything. I am disappointed too that you use so few of the dog cards when you play and it suffers in the US by using European names for the breed categories and having lots of breeds that are unknown here (understandable for a UK made game, but it's definitely a negative for the players I've shown it too). I plan to sort through the cards to find all the most common and known dog breeds here and try to make up our own sort of "popular" deck to play with just so people can get the enjoyment of seeing more of the breeds they know, than all these really weird ones. There also isn't nearly as information about the breeds on the cards as you get in Wingspan nor do you have that feeling that the actions and resources are as closely related to the dogs as they are for the birds. We really disliked the bidding and the automatic walker... the latter in particular forces you through the park quicker than I think real players would move, so much so that I think we will drop it for 2 player games completely. Agree with a lot of the comments of the reviewers here that 8 dogs just doesn't seem like enough to make getting the breed cards competitive and we might try adding another couple of rounds to the game just to make it go longer (only for experienced players). I am interested in seeing the trainer expansion that is coming out, being a dog trainer myself and hope it might improve the mechanics of the game, but I also plan to check online forums for it and see what home rules people may have come up with to make it better.
I played the game and it is a light game but it is good. The art in great, the mechanics match the theme and is a easy to teach and play. Camilla have great points in her review and even being the newest member of the Dice tower she did a great job reviewing this game. Well done Camilla! And I agree it is at 8-8.5 game.
Like the art and subject, but not a game for me. Was thinking of getting it as a gift, but watching how is played I think this would be left in a closet. Thanks for the info to save me from a purchase.
I agree with Zee, and the rounds should be more than 4. Otherwise the theme is good, the gameplay is OK. I think instead of bidding, it should just be first player chose first, then second player...
We don't have dogs but my family and I enjoyed this one more than Wingspan which I didn't even think about comparing it to. Just today the company has said they will be making two expansions for this game next year which elevate the strategy in the game.
I'm not a dog person, but I really like this game, despite liking Wingspan as well! I don't think they are the same weight, so they both have a place on the shelf.
I recommend a couple tweaks to the 2-player rules. The 2 player version adds an automated player to mess with things. But it's too easy to work around them. In the phase where you select from the board, the automated player always takes the highest rated breed. I think it should be a random card rolled for after the players choose. This makes the bidding more important. And during the walk phase the automated player should go first, because they never catch up if they don't. Maybe I was playing the rules wrong, but that's what I recommend.
Thank you Zee! Too many new games are a hodgepodge of mechanisms to fit a theme and not the other way around. The mechanisms they chose don't even make any thematic sense.
Zee's criticism about the categories for the bonuses makes sense, but it seems like it could have been easily fixed: just have 4 point-award categories, put _two_ dogs randomly in each category, and you have to have the most of the two breeds together.
The biggest thing I wish was different for it to go up to 5 players. They could easily do this with an expansion. This is a game I've really been wanting to play with my siblings and mom, because we are all dog fanatics, but the 4 player limit's been keeping it from getting to the table.
We don’t play family games, we’re almost entirely into competitive 2 player games. We can’t get enough of this game. Neither of us can find any criticisms. Wingspan is irrelevant. Why constantly compare? It’s a great game, period. 8/10.
Bit of a bugbear here but I wish the Dice Tower were more explicit about which version of a game they're showing/ reviewing. There's a really significant difference in components between the Kickstarter/ Collector's edition they have here (which is not readily available currently) and the standard version most people will be buying and it sets up false expectations for people buying based off their review. There's been a couple of these recently that I've only been aware of because I did my own research into the game beforehand (and it really does feel like research) - Fall of the Mountain King being another one that springs to mind. Literally just putting a graphic/ text onscreen or verbally calling it out would be enough.
@@thedicetower Apologies, my mistake regarding FotMK. I feel my basic point stands though. I'm not bothered which version you cover but if it's different to the typical retail version it's to the benefit of viewers to clarify that within the review.
I’m a Kickstarter backer and I’m thrilled for designers Lottie and Jack that they received a Seal of Excellence from Dice Tower. Zee seemed very down on the game which surprised me. Looked like it should be up his alley but I guess you can’t please everyone. Milla loved it so awesome! Kudos to @birdwoodgames7110 . I’m so pleased for you.
If you have followed Zee's reviews over the years I have no idea why you would think that. Zee likes clean games where the mechanisms make sense and work well together, he has never been one to be sold on the theme alone.
Wingspaniel.
This was one I knew I had to have the moment I saw it. Even though I own no pets, the rest of my family have dogs, and they love playing family-weight games with me. So a family weight game about dogs with fantastic components was a must-buy. And it hasn't disappointed. I've played it numerous times with all player counts (besides solo), everyone loves trying to find their breed cards, the variable setup means a different game every time, the artwork is amazing, this was an absolute winner.
Zee looking into the camera and dryly saying "Dogs.." slayed me 🤣
ZeEvil move for sure
I bought it on impulse because I love dogs and I love the games it's compared to, WIngspan and Parks. But...I played it twice and then sold it. It fell flat. I really didn't like the bidding mechanism at all. And the walking "Parks-like" action was a terrible letdown after Parks. You feel rushed off the path without getting enough stuff. Having two hikers in Parks makes all the difference. Only collecting 8 dogs while competing on the goals feels short. I was REALLY disappointed. I wanted so much for this to be a great game.
Tom said Dogspan but I was thinking Woofspan.
I was thinking "Wait, is C-span run by cats?"
Very informative and watchable. Special shout-out to Camilla, who did an excellent overview.
I'm curious how much the love for dogs is affecting the ratings people have for this. It looks cool and interesting but Zees concerns are worth noting. An average of 7 though makes it a decent game.
The artwork and people's love of dogs is the only thing selling this game. I love a beautiful production but there still has to be a game there worth playing and this does not look interesting in the least. Tom's point about the game forcing you not to collect the dogs you want is a clear indication of a bad game design.
This review is just a testament of dogs being the superior animal. I could care less for birds, but I still bought WingSpan. I was actually worried that no one would play with me because it is a game about birds. Luckily I managed to get my friends to play it and we all love it. But with Dog Park, I do believe that a large part of its reviews and sales are based on dog-lovers.
KillMilla! You did a fantastic game play overview. Pointing out multiple scoring characteristics and board aspects in detail, but also being succinct. Your walkthrough reminded me of the quick Tom overviews that provide needed info without belaboring points. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much for reviewing Dog Park! Loved hearing what you all made of the game.
Dog Park is the game that I hoped Wingspan would be. Wingspan's claim to fame (in my opinion) was that the theme and art helped spark the interst of many outside of the boardgame world, but the level of complexity in Wingspan's systems turned a number of aspiring gamers away.
Dog Park's simplicity is a selling point for an introductotry level of game. I'm of the mindset that Dog Park will easily rise to the same level of "evergreen" that Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassone has. And judging by the fact that this game seems to borrow some of the design DNA of Wingspan & Parks (very losely speaking), it's very very very easy to see a big-box edition of this releasing in 5 years to help store the many expansions that are eminent for this game.
Sidenote, a game like "Lost Ruins of Arnak" and "Terraforming Mars" eventually got different tracks, so I'd be shocked if alternate walking location arrangmeents weren't on the horizon for this game.
Wingspan is not that complex game, at 2.46 per BGG. If one can handle Mars or Arnak, then one should be able to handle Wingspan.
The reasons Zee listed were some of the reasons why I avoided backing. I want a dog version of Wingspan. This isn’t it. I don’t like the static track - Parks is superior. I’ll be interested to see the opinions for Bark Avenue.
I don’t know what the retail price is but I felt the kickstarter was expensive so I have a feeling it would have a hard time selling at Target to non-hobby gamer families.
Wingspan birds are also repetitive in their powers. Granted expansions have been introducing some new powers (end of round and game) but they are repetitive too. I wonder what the comparison is with the dog's power?
The rest of the critiques make a ton of sense. Great work as always!
"Wingspan birds are also repetitive in their powers" To be fair they do directly say that in that section in this review though.
Tom, did you, or do you know if Zee or Camila played this at 2?
We backed this on Kickstarter, have played it once WE did NOT like the 2 player version which includes a dummy player, the bidding, already not robust, became pointless, the walking for the dummy player was random (literally roll and move) we just did not enjoy it. On the positive, it should be light enough to play with our 9 year old, so we'll see if we enjoy it more at 3.
I really like the array of views on this game. It really will help people decide if it is a game for them or not.
I bought this game last year, mostly for the theme. I love dogs. But I also love birds. I think, (because you referred to Wingspan a couple of times), for me this is the better game. I played it this afternoon with 3 patients of mine in the psychiatrie and they loved it, so did I. Why is it a better game? Something you didn't mention but is for me personally very important in boardgaming. It's way more interactive than the birdgame that suffers from a new hype. Dress up a sologame into a boardgame. This one doesn't do that. You can really screw someone over and I like that, it makes it way more competive.
This was a really great review video! The teach was super clear and the debate/discussion afterward had a lot of great points made by everyone. Bravo! Brava!
I’m excited to play my new copy! 🐶 thank you for another great video! 🐕 🐩
So I am a fan of Wingspan, but also spent years as a dog trainer and instructor in canine sports so HAD to get this game when I could get my hands on a copy and hoped I would like it as much. But have been disappointed by the game in so many ways. I find it harder to teach people than Wingspan even though ultimately it's a bit simpler to play but for non-gamers the initial learning curve I found to be a bit steeper than I expected. I know I had to rely on some online walkthroughs to resolve some rule questions I had as the rulebook is good, but not always 100% clear on everything. I am disappointed too that you use so few of the dog cards when you play and it suffers in the US by using European names for the breed categories and having lots of breeds that are unknown here (understandable for a UK made game, but it's definitely a negative for the players I've shown it too). I plan to sort through the cards to find all the most common and known dog breeds here and try to make up our own sort of "popular" deck to play with just so people can get the enjoyment of seeing more of the breeds they know, than all these really weird ones. There also isn't nearly as information about the breeds on the cards as you get in Wingspan nor do you have that feeling that the actions and resources are as closely related to the dogs as they are for the birds. We really disliked the bidding and the automatic walker... the latter in particular forces you through the park quicker than I think real players would move, so much so that I think we will drop it for 2 player games completely. Agree with a lot of the comments of the reviewers here that 8 dogs just doesn't seem like enough to make getting the breed cards competitive and we might try adding another couple of rounds to the game just to make it go longer (only for experienced players). I am interested in seeing the trainer expansion that is coming out, being a dog trainer myself and hope it might improve the mechanics of the game, but I also plan to check online forums for it and see what home rules people may have come up with to make it better.
This is a huge hit with my family! Every dog lover I've played with has loved this game. This was an instant back for me, dogs are the best 😊
I played the game and it is a light game but it is good. The art in great, the mechanics match the theme and is a easy to teach and play.
Camilla have great points in her review and even being the newest member of the Dice tower she did a great job reviewing this game. Well done Camilla!
And I agree it is at 8-8.5 game.
Like the art and subject, but not a game for me. Was thinking of getting it as a gift, but watching how is played I think this would be left in a closet. Thanks for the info to save me from a purchase.
I agree with Zee, and the rounds should be more than 4. Otherwise the theme is good, the gameplay is OK. I think instead of bidding, it should just be first player chose first, then second player...
We don't have dogs but my family and I enjoyed this one more than Wingspan which I didn't even think about comparing it to. Just today the company has said they will be making two expansions for this game next year which elevate the strategy in the game.
I'm not a dog person, but I really like this game, despite liking Wingspan as well! I don't think they are the same weight, so they both have a place on the shelf.
I don't like bidding at all. Love look this game. Love idea. Walking dogs sounds fun. I'm okay with more dog options. Meeples very cute and cards.
I recommend a couple tweaks to the 2-player rules. The 2 player version adds an automated player to mess with things. But it's too easy to work around them. In the phase where you select from the board, the automated player always takes the highest rated breed. I think it should be a random card rolled for after the players choose. This makes the bidding more important. And during the walk phase the automated player should go first, because they never catch up if they don't. Maybe I was playing the rules wrong, but that's what I recommend.
Thank you Zee! Too many new games are a hodgepodge of mechanisms to fit a theme and not the other way around. The mechanisms they chose don't even make any thematic sense.
I’m in the Tom/Camila camp! Dog Park is a good quality family game.
Birds are awesome too Tom.
Zee's criticism about the categories for the bonuses makes sense, but it seems like it could have been easily fixed: just have 4 point-award categories, put _two_ dogs randomly in each category, and you have to have the most of the two breeds together.
Regarding the bidding, feels like it could have been a copy of Five Tribes' mechanism (since they were copying Parks and Wingspan anyway).
Or you would need at least 2 dogs of a category to classify for scoring?
This was an immediate back for me on KS! Love all the doggos so much!
Backed the German Version in February should be Here next few weeks
Wingspan Lite coupled with Parks resource acquisition.
my guy these puns are killing me whyyyyyyy
Love dogs love the art... but this game is a 4/10 for me. I played it twice and it just doesn't have any crunch to it. It's a pity
The biggest thing I wish was different for it to go up to 5 players. They could easily do this with an expansion. This is a game I've really been wanting to play with my siblings and mom, because we are all dog fanatics, but the 4 player limit's been keeping it from getting to the table.
We don’t play family games, we’re almost entirely into competitive 2 player games. We can’t get enough of this game. Neither of us can find any criticisms. Wingspan is irrelevant. Why constantly compare? It’s a great game, period. 8/10.
By way Birds just as awesome as dogs. Cats very awesome too.
Thank you for the review!
is there a mobile app for this game?
Bit of a bugbear here but I wish the Dice Tower were more explicit about which version of a game they're showing/ reviewing. There's a really significant difference in components between the Kickstarter/ Collector's edition they have here (which is not readily available currently) and the standard version most people will be buying and it sets up false expectations for people buying based off their review.
There's been a couple of these recently that I've only been aware of because I did my own research into the game beforehand (and it really does feel like research) - Fall of the Mountain King being another one that springs to mind. Literally just putting a graphic/ text onscreen or verbally calling it out would be enough.
Happily, I certainly did call it out in Fall of the Mountain King. That being said, I just review whichever copy I get/backed.
@@thedicetower Apologies, my mistake regarding FotMK.
I feel my basic point stands though. I'm not bothered which version you cover but if it's different to the typical retail version it's to the benefit of viewers to clarify that within the review.
I feel the same way as Milla (her rating) . I need this game
I almost backed this on KS, but the gameplay turned me off. It's too simplistic, almost boring.
Er I was thinking Pawspan. Wing is to bird as Paw is to dog?
BBG complexity rating is 2.04. No way this is less complex than kingsburg even with modules.
Reminder: birds aren't real! 🤣
Zee doesn't like dogs. If it was about herding cats, then he would love it.
Why does Zee hate dogs so much?
H;mmm this game seems like rubbish. Sorry, a pass for me. Not sure why Tom is giving it an 8.
Zee contradicted himself so much in this review lmaooo he doesn’t like dogs at all
Birds (the best animal group) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cats>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dogs 😛
Clearly Tom is misinformed. Since Cats are the superior animal. There was a reason they worshiped and dogs were not. 😉
Isn't Anubis a dog?
@@_Cervantez Anubis is a jackal, so not a dog per say. 😉
I’m a Kickstarter backer and I’m thrilled for designers Lottie and Jack that they received a Seal of Excellence from Dice Tower. Zee seemed very down on the game which surprised me. Looked like it should be up his alley but I guess you can’t please everyone. Milla loved it so awesome! Kudos to @birdwoodgames7110 . I’m so pleased for you.
If you have followed Zee's reviews over the years I have no idea why you would think that. Zee likes clean games where the mechanisms make sense and work well together, he has never been one to be sold on the theme alone.
This is a no-brainer.
✅ Get “inspiration” from Wingspan
✅ Make it about cute doggos
Dogmoms = 🥹🥹💵💵💵💵